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How to actually make good decisions easy
π‘ no frustration & no frill decision-making framework
Heyo π Jordan here,
Wednesday, 6:03 PM.
I'm talking to a potential customer from the US.
It's way too early for me to start talking:
Itβs my first customer call
I like the project too much (itβs a VR project π)
Iβm there to consult with the technical aspects in about an hour
But I have something to say. Something that will help the customer.
What do I do?
π§βπ» Context
An engineer can fix a slow elevator by redesigning the elevator to reduce its weight.Lower weight = an elevator that can go faster.
A psychologist can fix a slow elevator by installing a mirror.Doing something (looking in a mirror) while riding the elevator speeds up our perception of time.
Which solution is better?
Neither.
It depends on the context.
If you're designing a new elevator for a skyscraper β you'll be better off with the engineering solution. No mirror is going to distract people from a 15-minute ride.
If you're improving an old elevator β you'll be better off with the psychological solution. Replacing an entire elevator can take months and cost millions. A mirror costs $70.
Takeaway:
π Problems have different good solutions in different context.
If you have more context about your decision, you can make a better decision.
Example:
If you had to make the perfect product design, you'd optimize the design to be easy to use and beautiful.
But:
If you don't understand the engineering limitations behind your design, you can make it impossible to implement.
By understanding the engineers building it, you can guarantee 100% your design reaches the user exactly as you want it. Not the rough version β the exact version you envisioned.
π Once again, the better solution comes from having external context. Engineering knowledge to solve a design problem.
But, most projects are too complicated. Knowing everything about everything is impossible. Where would you even start?
β¬οΈ Bottom-up context
Intricately knowing how every part of a project can be impossible. Even if it is possible β it takes way too long.
Instead, follow this framework to get all the context you need:
Understand the big picture. Find the key responsible people in your project (including your customer) and get a general idea of what they do. No details.
Start solving a problem. You canβt learn to make decisions without making decisions.
Ask questions. It doesnβt matter if you have the perfect answer β find everyone responsible and ask how would they solve the problem. This will give you a new perspective to play with.
The more problems you solve and the more external context you get, the better your decisions will become.
Suddenly (in a few months/years of practice), you'll start considering viewpoints that no one even thinks about. And make better decisions for it.
It will seem like magic to everyone else.
It would've been a simple process for you (and maybe others if you share this email with them; might be a good investment in your colleagues).
π
Back to the story.
Did I say what I have to or shut my mouth and listen more?
I considered that for about 0.1 seconds and started talking.
Maybe I was relying too much on my experience as a magician. Maybe I was naive.
But I felt I had it.
And I did.
The customer loved me. My team gently pushed me to lead the rest of the conversation.
We won that customer. My decision-making process didn't betray me, even in that high-pressure situation.
I'm sure it can help you too!
π‘ Idea of the Week
It doesn't take time to make a decision. It takes information.
βοΈ Tools, Apps, 'n' Gadgets
Today I have a mixed bag: from AB testing to project organization. Let's dive in:
Birdy β AB test your Twitter profile. Create two bios and find which one is more attractive. The free version is fantastic by itself (what Iβm using).
Lose the βveryβ β Very good π splendid. Very smart π brilliant. This simple app removes the word βveryβ from your adjectives and gives you something better.
Linear β If you ever used Jira, you know it sucks (yes, this is me being polite). Linear is what Jira shouldβve been if it wasnβt designed nearly 14 billion years ago.
π Enjoying this so far? |
π¦ Creator Spotlight: Zlatko Bijelic
Zlatko is fantastic β he moved from Europe to California and (basically immediately) started creating businesses and helping people. You can find him on Twitter or sharing ideas on his podcast.
Everybody wants to start a business to get rich.
I've started 10+ businesses.
Most failed miserably before I hit my first 7-figures.
Here are the 14 toughest lessons I learned:
β Zlatko Bijelic β‘οΈ (@Zbijelic)
6:57 PM β’ Oct 30, 2022
π° Last Week with Jordan
General theme sentence
How to be more creative β How creativity works and how you can get more creative every day.
How to fall asleep faster β I fixed the audio from the London recordings (in public; scary!) and edited all of them into short videos.
Power Poses! β Your casual Darth Vader and Jordan Parker power posing battle. Of course.
This week I show you how to reclaim your time and improve your focus with the One Sec app π
That was it for today! Hit me up if you need me, and I'll see you again next Friday!
Your biggest fan,β Jordan
PS: Help me out by sharing this with a friend who'll find it useful π«Ά